Manchester United and Arsenal have been fierce competitors. They have been battling since the inception of the league and their encounters have always been nothing short of blockbusters.
On Saturday, at Old Trafford, they resume their battle on the pitch. To add more spice to the match, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger also resume their battles on the sidelines during the encounter. With Manchester United sixth on the table and struggling to find ground, Arsenal have the clear advantage and also two points away from the top spot on the table.
But, such is their rivalry, that both the teams bring their A-game on match day regardless of their form before the encounter. So, fireworks are to be expected at the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday.
Here are three memorable matches that are etched in everyone football fan’s memory.
The 8-2 humiliation
For any United fan, it could not have been better than this. Under Alex Ferguson, United outclassed Arsenal in an attacking exhibition with Wayne Rooney scoring a hat-trick. Arsenal were utterly humiliated as Manchester United ran riot.
CR7 dazzles Arsenal
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as a 10-man United beat Arsenal 4-2 way back in the 2004-’05 season. Dennis Bergkamp, Thiery Henry and Wayne Rooney were all a part of their respective teams back then. Another battle to remember for many.
Manchester United 3 Arsenal 2
Last season, as Arsenal were eyeing the coveted trophy, they were derailed by a young Manchester United lad Marcus Rashford. Rashford scored twice and set up the third as United beat Arsenal 3-2. The loss opened up a five-point gap for Arsenal against eventual champions Leicester City.
Battle of Old Trafford
This match, from the 2003-’04 season, ended in a 0-0 draw and went down in English Premier League folklore as one of the dirtiest games ever played. There were 31 fouls that were committed by the players with Arsenal responsible for 18 of them. These scuffles found commonplace during the Arsenal-United games during this period. Arsenal skipper Patrick Vieria was given a second yellow for trying to kick United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Arsenal felt a sense of injustice and after Van Nistelrooy missed his penalty in the final minute of the game, incensed players from Arsene Wenger’s side hounded the Dutch striker. Martin Keown slammed his outstretched arm on Van Nistelrooy’s head, which sparked off a melee between the two sets of players. Arsenal’s conduct and gameplay would improve over the course of the season, which saw them winning the league without losing a single game.
Arsenal’s magnificent early blitz
After years of pain, Arsenal played a near-perfect game at the Emirates, stoking talks of a genuine power shift when the two sides faced off. Then United manager Louis van Gaal opted to go for midfield pairing of Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger, which backfired completely as Arsenal ran rings around them.
Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott were imperious going forward and the Gunners raced to a 3-0 lead inside 20 minutes. Sanchez opened the scoring with a clever flick from Walcott’s pass from the right and Ozil grabbed the second just 74 seconds later. Chris Smalling was too slow in closing Sanchez down, who cut in on his right and hammed a shot home from just outside the box. United recovered to stem the flow of Arsenal’s attacks and not allowing them to add to their goal tally. For the Arsenal faithful, this was certainly one of their most memorable games in recent years.